Hot Chocolate
by WingsofFreedomHanjiZoe
Summary: When Levi wakes up one night from a nightmare, Hanji offers him company and comfort.


Thunder echoed through the empty walls of the Scouting Legion headquarters at the exact same moment that Levi shot straight up in bed, gasping and reaching forward. His normally clean and perfectly styled black hair was matted to his forehead with sweat. He sat for a moment processing the dark familiarity of his room and the steady downpour he could hear and see outside his window. Finally, he dropped his hand and cursed.

"Shit," he kicked the covers off himself and slid his feet into a pair of loafers. He pulled the door open and stepped out into the hallway. After closing and locking his door behind him, the short captain started pacing down the halls, wandering aimlessly trying to keep track of time by the flashes of lightning he could see from the windows. He was wondering if he should head back to his room to try sleeping again when he heard muttering coming from the mess hall.

_Who the hell else is still up at this time of night?_ He wondered stalking towards the door glaring. "Oi, you brats better keep it down before…" he started as he opened the door expecting to see Connie and Sasha raiding the pantry for a midnight snack.

"Ah, Levi? What are you doing up at this hour?" Hanji asked, cutting her fellow squad leader off mid-sentence and earning herself one of Levi's rare caught-off-guard looks. The brunette was only able to enjoy it for a moment, though, before Levi regained his composure and clicked his tongue irritated.

"I could ask you the same thing, Shitty Glasses, but I have a feeling your answer is something long-winded and Titan related and I don't have the energy or the patience to sit here and listen to you go on and on about your experiments." He pulled a chair out from a nearby table and dropped into it as lacking in grace as Hanji had ever seen him.

"Nightmares again?" She didn't really have to ask. The only time Levi wouldn't even _pretend_ to listen to her was right after he'd woken up from a nightmare. It was the one time he actually seemed like a human being to anyone who saw him, even though Hanji was pretty sure she and Erwin were the only ones left alive who'd seen him this way.

She put the mug and tin box she'd been holding in her hands down on the counter and walked over to her friend. She smiled as he looked up at her grumpily and leaned over to look straight into his eyes.

"Do you want a cup of hot chocolate? I was just about to make myself some and you look like you could use a cup of liquid happiness," she smiled at Levi which, whether he was aware of it or not, returned with a small one of his own as he nodded. Hanji straightened up and pulled some milk and a pot from their respective homes in the kitchen and started boiling the milk, humming quietly. Levi watched her curiously.

"What are you doing?" he finally asked as she started to pour the now steaming milk into the pair of mugs she'd found and was adding spoonfuls of brown shavings from the tin she'd had earlier to the milk.

"Making hot chocolate," she replied as she stirred the one mug's contents until they had completely blended and handed the mix to Levi. "Drink. It will make you feel better." He cautiously took a sip of the strange beverage and almost choked on it.

"What the hell, Four Eyes? Why is this so sweet?" Levi coughed, glaring at the scientist, who just laughed at him.

"Well, it is ground up chocolate mixed into milk," she laughed sipping her own drink, "It's supposed to be good for when you're in a bad mood." Hanji took another sip, but Levi hadn't missed what she'd said.

"So, what's eating you, Four Eyes?" She glanced up at him and gave a small smile.

"Same as you: Nightmares," she replied, shivering a little. "I always get them on nights like this," she glanced towards the window as lightning struck somewhere in the distance, making her eyes light up red. Levi frowned and placed his empty mug on the table.

"What do you mean, you always get them on nights like this? How come you didn't tell me this?" Levi growled, his voice low, which made Hanji's heart skip a beat.

"Ah, well, I always seem to get nightmares on stormy nights. I guess it's just cause of how the rain is supposed to be kind of sad… I'm not really sure why. But there's no reason for you to get mad…" She trailed off as Levi stepped closer to her, shaking his head.

"Next time you have a nightmare, come find me, okay?" He glared at her, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink as Hanji's turned bright red.

"Ah, but I don't want to bother you with my…"

"Promise me, Hanji."

The two squad leaders stared at each other for a few moments as thunder rumbled quietly outside. Levi's eyes stared into Hanji's, cold and serious, and she swallowed.

"Answer me."

Hanji felt her face heating up as Levi stepped closer to her.

"You won't be bothering me if you come to me with a nightmare. I don't want you suffering through another night of sleeplessness because you're afraid to go back to sleep. You wouldn't let me be here alone, so I won't let you be alone. So promise me that the next time you have a nightmare that you'll come to my room and let me comfort you." Levi wrapped his arms around Hanji's waist and pulled her close to him. Hanji sighed and felt her arms slipping around his neck as she rested her chin on his head.

"Okay. I promise I'll come to you next time," she smiled, her heart racing. She felt Levi pulling away slightly and felt her heart fall a little at the approaching end of their moment when the short man took her chin in his calloused hand and tilted her face towards his.

"Good," he smiled at her before rising up onto his toes slightly to press his lip to hers. Hanji closed her eyes and sighed happily, enjoying the rare moment of affection and the taste of chocolate on the Captain's lips.


End file.
